Five Things

The five things I heart about Italy this week are:

1. Fiorentina Soccer Games:  Fiorentina, also known as Forza Viola is the official soccer team here in Florence. I had the pleasure of going to a Fiorentina soccer match last week. Sadly, my team didn't win but I still had a lovely experience. I was lucky enough to go twice this season. If I ever come back to Florence you bet I'll go to another match! (post about this coming soon)

2. Palestra Ricciardi: This is the new gym I go to. To be honest I had a rocky start with gym because a. it's farther from my apartment (10 min walk) b. the equipment is much older c. i havent warmed up to the people. Still, the more I go the more I like it. I'm starting to get comfortable. Soon I will have a routine like I did at Klab. What I like about Palestra Ricciardi is that they offer more classes. Some are really fun, like the hip hop class they have. I also like that the people who go to Palestra Ricciardi are younger. They are around the same age group as me as opposed to Klab that had much older members.

3. Amazon.it: I love this website. It is like the one back home but of course it offers all the Italian dvds/books/cds I could ever want at a lower price than the bookstores. Even though I had a rough time getting my package the first time around, I will be ordering again from them soon. Here is what I bought the first time. :)

4. Antica Gelateria Fiorentina: This is slowly becoming my favorite gelateria here in Florence. Although the I still prefer the gelato from La Carraia, L'Antica Gelateria Fiorentina is significantly closer to my apartment. How close? About one minute. This is dangerous because not only is their gelato delicious but it's also cheap! I typically get the 2 euro cup with Stracciatella and Bacio.

5. Italian Lessons with Adriana: Even though Adriana hasn't been learning Italian for too long (and I have been learning it for years) we are around the same level. Recently we have started practicing together the stuff we need to work on. Last night was the conditional, like would or could, and tonight we will probably go over it again and move on. I am glad we are doing this because it will better our Italian for sure. We are using this book by Claudio Manetta. 

My Language Wishlist

Hello everyone!! As you all know I have always been fascinated with languages. I only know English and Spanish fluently but I have spent many years learning Italian and one year learning Japanese. I decided to make up a list - you know how much i love lists - of all the languages I would like to know eventually. It would be nice if I could at least start learning these in the next 5 years. :) Eventually I would like to be fluent in:

1. English
2. Spanish
3. Italian
4. Japanese
5. Portuguese
6. French
7. Chinese

And if for some reason I want to learn more Russian, Hebrew and German also interest me. Do you think this list is possible?? I hope so!!!

Mia♡

Parliamo Solo In Italiano

The other night I got to hang out with Lilly & Krystal again. It was really nice catching up with these ladies since they were off on adventures for the past two weeks. They went to Spain and France while I was stuck here, hard at work with my course. They did have plenty of stories to tell so I was glad to listen to their stories. :)

They took me to this good pizza place called Gusta Pizza. Me gusta Gusta Pizza ;) After they took me to this gelato place that wasn't too far and it was delicious!!! Best part, it was also cheap! Everytime I've had a chance to hang out with these ladies it has been a blast. Look forward to our next get together.  

 Margherita Pizza

 Spicy Chili Oil

 Another look at my pizza :)

Gelato time!

On the way back Lilly and Krystal wanted to see my school. I took this opportunity to take pictures so that all of you back home could see. Sorry it is only the door and the plaque but it's a start right? You should see the elevator. It's tiny!

Miss you all! <3 Mia

UCD Italian Majors Meet Up In Florence!!

So I am extremely lucky to have two of my fellow Ags - more importantly, Italian majors- here in Florence. Krystal and Lilly are here studying abroad with UCD so I contacted them because I was feeling a bit lonely.

 The other night we met up and they took me to this wonderful place called the Yellow Bar where I had yummy Spaghetti al Pomodore e Basilico.
It was delicious. Then they took me to a gelateria with the cutest name, Perché no? (Why Not?). I am so glad we could meet up in Italia especially since they push me to speak Italian. Plus, this experience brings us together. We have studied the Italian culture together and here we are now experiencing it together. Its amazing. I can tell that I am going to enjoy every moment here. :)

Here are some pics of us posing with the replica of Michelangelo's David in the Piazza della Signoria: